Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, Maliau Basin Conservation Area

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Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)

Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, Maliau Basin Conservation Area

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Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)

Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, Maliau Basin Conservation Area

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Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)

Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, Maliau Basin Conservation Area

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Rafflesia from Singkawang, west Borneo, Indonesia

Photo Information

Copyright: Joffre Salkeld (Joffre) (62)

Genre: Plants

Medium: Color

Date Taken: 1993-09

Categories: Rain Forest, Fungi, Flowers

Camera: Nikon F-401s, Nikkor 35-70 / 4,5-5.6, fuji 100, HOYA 55m PL-CIR

Photo Version: Original Version

Date Submitted: 2006-06-04 8:47

Shot of the famous Rafflesia, taken outside of Sinkawang, West Kalimantan...

The Rafflesia is sometimes called the World's largest flower (ie. growing up to a metre in diameter), actually it's a parasidic plant that spends most of it's time hidden in the base of jungle vines until the hard bud bursts through the host plant and rapidly develops its huge cauldron-like flower. Pollinated by flies, it is a carrion plant, preying on insects..

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo57534.htm

Rafflesia - the Biggest Flower

Photo Information

Copyright: James Parker (Jamesp) (9184)

Genre: Plants

Medium: Color

Date Taken: 2001-03

Categories: Flowers

Camera: Canon EOS 1vHS, Canon 24-70 mm f 2,8 L-USM

Photo Version: Original Version

Date Submitted: 2007-02-24 11:12

I have decided to post a flower today.

The Rafflesia is the world's biggest flower - some specimens are over a meter in diameter (this one was about 90cm). They are found in peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the southern Philippines in rainforest habitat.

The flowers take about 10 months to develop from the woody, parasitic vine. The buds swell until they reach the size of a large cabbage or football and then open - but only last for 3 days. The flowers give off the smell of rotting meat to attract the flies which pollinate them.

There are 17 species of Rafflesia - this is one of the biggest - Keithii. The name Rafflesia come from Sir Stamford Raffles who gave his name to them and to the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

There is no flowering season - you just have to be lucky - I was - there were two in flower on my visit and they were both quite close to the park HQ.

This is a scanned slide. As usual I didn't use a tripod (I am really bad about that) and I do not think I used a flash.

Sarawak, Gunung Gading National Park

Sweet Rafflesia

Rafflesia and my Dedication

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Taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (See more photos here)

5°58' 22" N, 116°4' 03" E5.972668116.067638

I dream to see this typical flower for long time. Never think that I would succeed in Kotakinabalu, the state of Malaysia in Borneo Island.

It's a kind of strange flower that bloom only 7 days directly from bud. Buds are on ground collect food for 6-7 months. It's noticed that these buds mostly found near to grape-like plant. In Kotakinabalu there is a research
Center for Rafflesia but the research lab is very big - in the true forest. At present, Rafflesia can only natural planted by NATURE.

As I go to research center so I didn't prepare for mountain hiking before. We had a forest man as a guide and climbed downhill for 45 minutes and slope was more steep till it was difficult to stand. We walked through the path full of moss and fern, moisted air and sound of stream flow nearer. I tried not to ask when we will reach it. I was soaking with sweat. Then the guide stopped suddenly and said it's was there on the left side. Even with 400 mm zoom len but it was there with dense plants around, so we walked carefully along the contour line to see it closely. The steep slope that we couldnot stand upright at all.

We had to pressed our foot firmly on ground not slipping down and grasp branches along the way.

Till we meet her near, sweat got into my eyes, with one hand grasped the instable branches and I passed my camera for my friend who stood in the position that could use two hands taking photo.

We were so near that we could touch. This type is small size and nmo bad smell. I didn't know I should glad or sad to find her instead of the huge size with bad smell, its reputation. However I found she was so lovely.

A flower growing out from small bud and blossom only a week. We met her on her sixth day. I touched her very lightly. Never think that I could go into jungle to find her family again any second time.

After that we climbed up for 1.30 hrs, more difficult with slope that's steeper than 45 degree for almost half way. I stopped to rest and drink water several times and said I could not make it any more. I need longer stop but we didn't want to waste the time of the forestry guide, so I tried harder. Even I felt I was biten by something on my leg but we didn't stop. I said maybe insect or snake, small and sudden pain for some seconds.

Its not a kind of normal trekking route but I go down into the rain forest chasm. Route seemed never-ending for me. Climbing up fast used lots of energy and I totally soaked with sweat like bathing. I said to my friend, this trip is specially dedeicated to her - the Rafflesia and I will never forget her and this route.

Till I could make it. We reached the top then I found my blue jean was filled with blood. we were biten by leech. It's my first time biten by leech. Normally I could feel the moment it will be bite and I get it out before. This time I felt before but I couldn't find a place to stop on that slope. Anyway glad to be biten, I wanted to know how to be biten by leech and never dare to.
So I conclude that

"This is just for her... I do for her...the Rafflesia. I will never forget you"

Borneo island is a very tropical rainforest location. Its average rainfall is 4000 mm a year and there are so many typical plants and animals there, one in the world. However rafflesia is found many locations around southeast Asia. In the south of Thailand, it is found too but I came to see this in Borneo island.

Location :
downhill forest
near to Rafflesia Research Center
Kotakinabalu, Borneo Island
Malaysia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/araleya/265624334/

Rafflesia Tuan-Mudae photo by Michael Lo

Posted 4 dec 2007

The largest flower - Rafflesia


Rafflesia is the largest flower on earth. It can be found in tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia. There are 9 species of Rafflesia in Borneo island:

(1) R. arnoldii
(2) R. borneensis
(3) R. ciliata
(4) R. hasseltii
(5) R. keithii
(6) R. pricei
(7) R. tengku-adlinii
(8) R. tuan-mudae
(9) R. witkampii

The Rafflesia which I photographed is Rafflesia tuan-mudae which is named after Charles Brooke of Sarawak. Charles Brooke was the tuan muda of Sarawak before he became the Rajah (King) of Sarawak, long time ago.

Rafflesia is a parasite which grow on the vines of Tetrastigma.


2 buds on the ground:


The flower bud on the vine; above the ground:




















http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/rafflesia2007.htm

RAFFLESIA OF THE RAINFOREST, THE WORLD'S LARGEST FLOWER: Conservation of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) in Malaysia

RAFFLESIA OF THE RAINFOREST, THE WORLD'S LARGEST FLOWER: Conservation of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) in Malaysia

By WildBorneo.net

" --we have no choice but to cast them together, as oddities, into their own category, much as in an asylum we bring together the mentally ill, whose mania are extremely varied, but of whom no one is really what he pretends or imagines to be " (Trattinick, 1828)

The Rafflesia is probably one of Malaysia's most well known icon of the tropical forest. The Rafflesia has been depicted in numerous tourist brochures, commemorated in Malaysian stamps and have also been featured on older editions of Malaysian coins. The Rafflesia, where it has been conserved, is also an important attraction for tourists whom are eager to see one of the rarest rainforest spectacle. But the Rafflesia, the giant flower of the rainforest, had once been banished, like the mentally ill, to its own asylum in the plant kingdom, separate and distinct from its kin, such as the garden rose or the sweetly fragrant flowers of the jasmine.




The flowering episode is however brief, and will last no more than a couple of days. Once the flowers are in bloom, no one is really sure how the flowers are pollinated, or how the seeds are dispersed. One botanist even suggested that termites, which would place it at the feet of elephants to aid its dispersal, could disperse the seeds! Beyond the visible display of flowers, the remaining life-cycle of the Rafflesia remains a mystery to botanists.

Botanists currently recognise 14 or 15 species of Rafflesia, and the plants are known only from Asia (namely, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Phillipines). Many of the species are extremely rare, and have been recorded from only a handful of localities. In Malaysia, we boast of having nearly 50 % of all known Rafflesias. Of these, R. cantleyi is found only in northern Peninsular Malaysia, and R. keithii, R. pricei and R. tengku-adlinii are found only in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). There are several important Rafflesia sites in Malaysia, many of which are worth a visit for they are also important conservation areas. In Peninsular Malaysia, R, hasseltii has been recorded from Taman Negara and Ulu Belum (an exceptional area of biodiversity, which has recently been gazetted as a conservation area). R. cantleyi, a Malaysian endemic, is more widespread and has been commonly observed in bloom around the Gopeng and Taiping area (many of the known sites have not been formally recognised as protected areas).

In Sarawak, R. arnoldii (the first species of Rafflesia to be described in the botanical literature) can be found at Gunung Gading National Park, about two hours drive from Kuching. All the Sabah endemics, R. priceii, R. keithii and R. tengku-adlinii, are found within protected areas, and of these, the former two species can be seen at Poring (Kinabalu National Park) and the Rafflesia Centre (Crocker Range National Park).

Apart from National Parks, a unique initiative had been launched to protect Rafflesia sites on privately owned land in Sabah. One such site is near the town of Ranau, in a small village called Kg. Kokob. A local resident of Kg. Kokob is conserving the site of R. keithii, one of the largest flowering Rafflesias in Sabah. It is a very commendable initiative, and amazingly the Rafflesia was only discovered on their land as late as 1995, despite it being a family homestead for many years.

Efforts to conserve Rafflesia on private land need to be encouraged. One can help simply by visiting these sites. In Kg. Kokob, between 1995 and 1999, a total of about 500 visitors (both local & foreign tourists) have visited this site. The small entrance fee charged goes a long way to enhancing the conservation of this most remarkable species. Similar initiatives need to be encouraged, and there are many other sites in Peninsular Malaysia, which can adopt these simple prescriptions for conserving the world's largest flower.

In Peninsular Malaysia, one of the most alarming trends is in the collection of Rafflesia buds for use in traditional medicine. Often the collectors are experienced jungle experts, local orang aslis, whom are paid as little as RM 1 per bud. The buds are eventually sold in the market place for around RM5 or are processed into medicinal preparations. The belief is that the Rafflesia buds will help mothers recover after their pregnancy. In fact, the local name for Rafflesia, Bunga Patma, illustrates how deep this folklore is our culture ("Patma", is a Sanskrit word for "fertility").

In a local wet-market in Ipoh, a Malay woman had once regularly sold Rafflesia buds. She had been asked recently why she had stopped selling them, her answer was ominous, "tidak ada lagi"(there are not any left). It is clear that the over-collection of Rafflesia buds will pose a serious threat to the conservation of Rafflesia. These practices, as well as the loss of habitat, are some of the problems undermining the efforts to conserve our magnificent flower.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7530779665124328926